Prohibition

My friends and I had a girls night recently. We wanted to try somewhere we had never been together. We try to go to a new place each time we all eat together. My friend Susanne had been to Prohibition for her birthday recently and enjoyed it, so we decided to head back. This would be my first time eating at Prohibition. It has a pretty good bar scene at night and I had been a few times for drinks but never to eat.

All of us like to eat (a lot) so naturally we started out with an entree to share. (Isn't that how you start your dinners?) We ordered the macaroni and cheese which is cooked with chorizo, bacon, mushrooms and is finished with brioche breadcrumbs. It was good. It was different than your standard mac and cheese, but not too different that it didn't satisfy the craving. I'm not sure I would order it for my entree, but it was tasty. 

For my main squeeze (entree), I ordered the Carolina Roll. It was a brioche roll stuffed with a blue crab and shrimp salad, which was given a kick with a chile aioli and was then topped with fried oysters. This is my heaved and it was awesome. All of the seafood was cooked perfectly and the salad was perfectly balanced and didn't have too much mayonnaise. They delivered to me exactly what I was hoping for. And for the amount of seafood given in this roll, I though the price was on point. It also came with a pip (side) in which I ordered the bell pepper hash which was also very tasty. The potatoes were cooked perfectly through and through, and their was a nice balance between them and the bell peppers. It was served with a Sriracha hollandaise- YUM! I was very pleased with my meal. 

My friends ordered the fish tacos and duck quesadilla. Both were thoroughly enjoyed. 

We were surprised with complimentary desserts. A vanilla creme brûlée and a blueberry basket. The creme brûlée was good, standard. The blueberry basket was superb- a creme brûlée french toast, stuffed with blueberry ice cream. I would recommend it if you're wanting to top of your meal with something sweet!

With a name like Prohibition, you can't skip over the drinks. Their specialty is the cocktails, and they have a wide selection. I had two different cocktails and they were both great. I'm a vodka drinker- so I had the Itty Bitty, which was a tad sweet, followed by one of the cocktail specials for the night. 

 Its a great place to go for some drinks to start out your night. They usually have a band playing on the stage and have a swing band parading through the restaurant on the weekends! The atmosphere is perfect for a pregame, happy hour after work or a night out for dinner.

If you're looking for a good meal and great spirits with a great atmosphere, I would recommend Prohibition. I've only been once, but it was a great experience and I'll definitely come back. Its not the first place I would take out of town guests, but its a great place to throw into the mix of places to go eat and enjoy some inspiring cocktails. 

Venison Chili

So it seems like Charleston skipped right over fall, and now all of the sudden its winter! I know warmer weather is on its way, but this weekend was too cold for my liking. Friends in Greenville, Columbia and NC got snow- on November 1st! Anyway, the colder weather has me (and probably many of you) craving chili. Luckily, we had one package of ground venison left in the freezer, so I thawed it out and made some venison chili- yum!

Now there are about a billion different ways to make chili- including variations on the original with many different ingredients. Today, I stuck close to the classic chili, but there are a few things I do differently. For one, I use venison instead of ground beef. There is something so right about venison  in chili.

Ingredients

I use a can of kidney beans as well as black and pinto beans. The green peppers and jalapeños are a must. I also add hot sauce to taste at the end.

Dicing the garlic and onion- as you can see I like a thick diced onion to help make the chili "chunkier"

Don't you drink beer while making chili :)

Bacon!

Sautéing the onion, jalapeño, garlic and onion in the left over bacon grease

Set bacon to the side

Rinsing the beans in water

Chopped bacon

Tomatoes and beans in the crock pot

Add the spices to the sautéed mixture prior to placing ingredients in the crock pot 

The venison- I add yellow mustard and soy sauce to
take some of the "gamey taste" out of it

Strain the venison as some water will accumulate from cooking it

Once everything is in the crockpot- taste it and add more spices and hot sauce as needed

Ingredients

2 green peppers, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 yellow onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
2 strips of bacon
3- 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
Salt (I use Garlic salt) + Black pepper

Package of ground venison (or beef/turkey etc)
~About 1 1/2 - 2 pounds

Directions

1. Put 3 cans of crushed tomatoes in the crock pot.

2. Pour beans into a strainer and rinse thoroughly with water. Add to the crock pot and turn it on low.

3. Fry bacon in a cast iron skillet and then set aside, leaving the bacon grease in the skillet.

4. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño and green peppers to the skillet with the bacon grease and sauté for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent.

5. Add the chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and cumin. Stir the vegetables mixing in the spices evenly and allow to simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add this mixture to the crock pot.

6. Chop up the bacon and add to the crock pot.

7. In the same skillet, cook your meat until it is no longer pink. Strain the water from the venison that results from cooking it. Then, add the venison to the crockpot.

8. Stir all ingredients together in the crock pot, give it a taste and add more heat/salt/pepper as you see fit. I like to go a little "lighter" on seasonings on the front end, because you can always add more at the end.

I added about 1 tsp of garlic salt and chili powder and several dashes of hot sauce.
Feel free to add other ingredients- I add fresh roasted corn whenever it is in season!

Make sure the chili sits in the crock pot for at least two hours (on low) to allow all of the flavors to meld.

This serves about 8 people.

Enjoy- And don't forget your cheddar cheese and other toppings of preference!

What are your favorite ways to make chili??

Artisan Meat Share

Chef Craig Deihl has been running the game on charcuterie boards and curing meat for years as the Executive Chef at Cypress. In 2009, he debuted the Artisan Meat Share concept- like a CSA for meat. He has procured some 4,000 pounds of meat and was running out of room at Cypress. The art requires a lot of space, which led to the opening of this butcher shop/charcuterie driven eatery.

He and Chef Bob Cook opened up the Artisan Meat Share about two weeks ago and Will and I had been excited about getting in there to try out some of the house cured meats! There was a lot of hype and anticipation surrounding the opening of this establishment.

Located in Elliotborough, the Artisan Meat Share offers made-to-order gourmet sandwiches, both hot and cold, a burger and two salads. There’s fresh meat, cured meat and smoked meat in display cases that you can purchase by the pound as well as a retail space for house-made items such as their pimento cheese.  Craft beer and wine are also available.  Great side note: they make all of their own breads. It has a similar concept as The Daily, but its focus: MEAT.

There’s room to seat about 20 people for those who would like to dine-in, which is what we opted to do. Will started out with a beer from the new brewery in town, Freehouse, which we both thoroughly enjoyed (I may have stolen a few sips). I definitely want to look into more of their beers. It was a perfect pairing for what was to come.

We began with a meat and cheese plate. It came with head cheese, mortadella, coppa, salami, brie and a hard-cheese (can’t remember which kind), pickles and pickled onions, grilled bread and a spicy grain mustard. It was a good M&C plate, which was a perfect way to try out the meats and allow them to shine on their own. In addition, I had never had head cheese before; I love being exposed to new foods.

Will (unsurprisingly) ordered the burger. He is very into trying all of the burgers in town, which are aplenty. As most of you know, the burger game in Charleston is taken very seriously and it is almost impossible to pick a favorite. I can say to add this one to your “must try” list. It was 2 glorious thin patties (our favorite) with government cheese, lettuce, onion, and bacon jam served on a house-made buttermilk roll. WOW. The bread was lightly grilled but what really brought it home was the bacon jam. It had a sweet/smoky flavor that cannot be replicated. One thing to note, it did not have a tomato- but you weren’t missing it! 

This burger is definitely a contender for a top spot in the Burger Game around Charleston.

We ordered a side of macaroni and cheese to share but it was underwhelming. It was made with ditalini pasta, which was interesting and unique. The breadcrumbs sprinkled overtop were good but nothing to write home about. I look forward to trying out more side items in the future.

I ordered the Tuna Nicoise, which I had been eyeing on the menu ever since it was released. I know, I know I come to an eatery that specializes in meat and order fish. What can I say? It sounded too good to pass up. This sandwich included tuna (we’re not talking from a can!), garlic aioli, black olives, chopped hard-boiled egg, tomato, greens and a red wine-shallot vinaigrette served on house-made ciabatta. All of the flavors went really well together and I cannot serve the tuna justice with only words on how perfectly it was cooked. I would have liked more of a punch of saltiness from the olives, but other than that it was what I was hoping for.

We were too full for dessert but they have homemade brownies and cookies to offer if you would like to cap off the meal with something sweet.  Needless to say, Will and I both enjoyed our meal and will return for more. 

In fact, we did the next day. Both of us struggled not ordering the Italian, so Will picked it up for us to try. The flavors of this sandwich were spot on for what I crave when thinking of the perfect Italian sandwich. The sandwich was built with the house cured meats, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, peppers, and their very own sub sauce served on a sub roll- Ah-mazing. The cheese held its’ own against the savory Italian meats and that sub sauce- you’ll be licking it off of your fingers, I promise. If you are ever looking for the perfect Italian sub, look no further.

Go try it out, friends. You won’t be disappointed, but be forewarned they are only open until 7pm.

The Daily

This weekend couldn't have been more gorgeous! My husband, Will and I woke up Saturday morning, took our dog, Loosey for a walk, and then decided to hop on our bikes and ride over to The Daily for some breakfast.

The Daily is a market/eatery that is a sister restaurant to Butcher & Bee (also amazing if you haven't been- posts on it in the future). I had not been here yet but my husband had been by before work a couple of weeks ago. He brought me home a delicious watermelon and chai seed juice which reminded me of the fresh watermelon juice from our trip to Bali. Needless to say, due to the relation to Butcher & Bee and the juice I had, I was excited to finally try it out.

The inside is very eclectic with many specialty grocery items such as house-made jams, mustards and other accoutrement. They also sell coffee, wine and beer (plus they have beer growlers you can take home!) on a shelf in the corner. Fresh daily breads and pastries are displayed on platters for your selection and although we didn't indulge in any, they looked amazing. 

The menus are displayed on the counter top. 

Two things you'll notice right away: there is no cash register. Like the Apple store, someone will take your order with an iPad; and two, there is no seating. This seems odd at first but we stood to eat our breakfast and I rather enjoyed the experience. It reminded us of being in Italy casually sipping an espresso with a croissant. The area to stand and eat is next to the food prep/cooking station which was really nice because we were able to interact with the chefs. The Daily is going for a "grab and go" kind of place and I believe they executed it perfectly.  

Ok, my favorite part- the food! I was honestly impressed. I knew it was going to be delicious but it was even better than I expected. 

Will got the bacon breakfast sandwich: bacon, pimento cheese, fried egg, smoked onion jam on a homemade english muffin. The jam really shined through and made this sandwich different than your average bacon and egg sammy. 

I ordered the fried egg sandwich: fried egg, fontina, Harissa ketchup, bangin' relish and fresh homemade sourdough. Wow. The Harissa ketchup was the perfect addition to this sandwich. It gave it some heat and made the sandwich unique. That is actually how I would describe our meal- unique, exactly what I was looking for. 

We also got the avocado toast (which I have been LOVING all summer), and theirs was good. They put an heirloom tomato with olive oil, salt, cracked pepper, oregano (I believe) and olive oil. It was a little heavy on the olive oil, but it was delicious, and that tomato was spot on. 

Lastly, Will has really gotten into cold brew coffee. First it was french press, now it's cold brew. He first had it at Black Tap Coffee about two years ago and has been making it at home since. The Daily uses Stumptown Coffee based out of Portland, and it was definitely one of the better cups we've had around Charleston. I actually don't like coffee but I will always try Will's. 

I ordered the Super Green Smoothie, which I actually brought home and had for lunch because I was so full. Normally the sandwiches would be enough for breakfast but I couldn't leave without trying one of their smoothies. Nothing more to say than it was absolutely delicious. The sweetness of the coconut and apple balanced the bitterness of the kale without overpowering it. I will be going back regularly for their juices.

One last thing I must point out, customer service. I cannot say enough great things about the staff at The Daily. Everyone was so attentive and genuinely seemed to care that we had a good experience. We were asked by multiple staffers how the food was and when I inquired about what they were making I got an in detail answer of the recipe, which I was not expecting. 

Here is the link to the restaurant if you want to check it out http://www.shopthedaily.com and I highly recommend that you do. If you head there soon, we might just run into each other because this place has quickly climbed to the top of my "go-to" list.